As the Women’s Premier League (WPL) gears up for its explosive 4th edition from January 9 to February 5, 2026, split between DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai for the first phase and Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara for the second, UP Warriorz stand at a make-or-break juncture.
After a rollercoaster ride of promise and pitfalls, 3rd in 2023 (8 points from 8 games under Alyssa Healy, only to crash out by 72 runs in the eliminator against Mumbai Indians), 4th in 2024 (6 points), and dead last in 2025 (3 wins from 8 under stand-in skipper Deepti Sharma), the franchise has hit the reset button with a near-total squad overhaul. Retaining just one player, the dynamic 21-year-old Shweta Sehrawat, UP Warriorz signaled bold intent at the mega auction, snapping up a lethal, balanced unit under new head coach Abhishek Nayar, the first Indian to lead a WPL side.
The auction fireworks set the tone: UP Warriorz unleashed all three Right to Match (RTM) cards, reclaiming Indian all-round maestro Deepti Sharma for a jaw-dropping 3.2 CR (after Delhi Capitals spiked her from 50 Lakhs, making her WPL’s second-most expensive ever behind RCB’s Smriti Mandhana at 3.4 CR), England’s world-class left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone for a steal at 85 Lakhs, and domestic stars Kiran Navgire (60 Lakhs) and Kranti Gaud (50 Lakhs).
Powerhouse buys like Australia’s Meg Lanning (1.90 CR, a captaincy frontrunner with skipper yet to be named), explosive Caribbean “Universe Boss” Deandra Dottin, stylish left-hander Phoebe Litchfield (1.20 CR), South African all-rounder Chloe Tryon (30 Lakhs), veteran seamer Shikha Pandey (2.40 CR), and leg-spinner Asha Sobhana (1.10 CR) form the spine. Youth injections shine through with U-19 World Cup 2025 Player of the Tournament Gongadi Trisha (10 Lakhs), ODI World Cup winner Pratika Rawal (50 Lakhs), and Simran Shaikh, alongside Harleen Deol and Suman Meena.
The UP Warriorz campaign kicks off against Ashleigh Gardner’s Gujarat Giants on January 10 at DY Patil (3:30 PM IST). A late pivot addressed associate pacer Tara Norris’s (USA) withdrawal for the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal; UP Warriorz smartly grabbed Australian all-rounder Charli Knott at her 10 Lakh reserve price, bringing Big Bash nous (775 runs in 57 inns, 6 wickets in 12 innings) with batting flair and off-spin.
Yet, amid this talent tsunami, questions linger: Can Nayar fuse experience, youth, and six overseas slots into consistent firepower?
UP Warrioz WPL 2026 Squad:
Shweta Sehrawat, Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, Simran Shaikh, Shipra Giri, Deandra Dottin, Tara Norris, Shikha Pandey, Gongadi Trisha, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Chloe Tryon, Suman Meena, Kranti Gaud, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana
UP Warriorz SWOT Analysis for WPL 2026
This SWOT analysis unpacks the Warriorz’s Strengths (Ecclestone’s wizardry, Lanning’s nous), Weaknesses, and Opportunities.
Strengths: One of the most power-packed batting arsenals on paper
UP Warriorz boast one of the most explosive batting line-ups in WPL 2026, blending fearless youth, middle-order muscle, and late-order fireworks to dominate T20 chases or set daunting totals on the DY Patil and Kotambi pitches.
At the top, Australia’s stylish left-hander Phoebe Litchfield (1.20 CR) brings elegance and intent, promising boundary-hunting starts alongside retained star Shweta Sehrawat’s rising prowess. Kiran Navgire (RTM 60 Lakhs), the explosive opener from UPW’s early core, reloads with her proven WPL pedigree, while Simran Shaikh adds domestic bite with her aggressive strokeplay.
The middle order detonates with Caribbean “Universe Boss” Deandra Dottin, whose white-ball savagery injects chaos, complemented by South African all-rounder Chloe Tryon’s (30 Lakhs) gritty power-hitting and cunning spin. This depth isn’t just theoretical; it’s engineered for acceleration, with pace-bowling veteran Shikha Pandey (2.40 CR) and left-arm spin sorceress Sophie Ecclestone (RTM 85 Lakhs) primed to unleash finishing touches. Pandey’s lower-order cameos and Ecclestone’s rare but ruthless batting (strike rate 120+ in T20Is) turn potential collapses into match-winning surges, giving UP Warriorz unmatched flexibility in the death overs.
Weakness: Very thin in the pace department
While UP Warriorz’s batters swing for the stars, their pace department emerges as a glaring vulnerability, a lean unit that could unravel on batting-friendly DY Patil decks or when spinners get stifled in Vadodara’s heat.
The seam attack hinges on just four options: domestic pacer Kranti Gaud (RTM 50 Lakhs), whose raw pace and swing offer promise with a decent WPL exposure veteran all-rounder Shikha Pandey (2.40 CR), a reliable workhorse with experience but waning express speed at 36; and explosive Deandra Dottin, whose Caribbean action adds variety yet prioritizes her batting firepower; and batting all-rounder Suman Meena, a talented domestic prospect who chips in seamers but shines more with the willow than as a frontline bowler.
No dedicated overseas quicks or proven strike pacers leave UP Warriorz exposed, especially post-Tara Norris’s withdrawal, against power-hitters who feast on spin-heavy attacks. In a league where death-over yorkers win titles, this threadbare seam cupboard demands over-reliance on fitness, form, and untested potential, potentially costing crunch games if the ball doesn’t swing or seam.
Opportunities: Stage set for Shweta Sehrawat and Kiran Navghare to have a breakthrough stint
With Alyssa Healy unsold and international stars leading the charge, UP Warriorz’s stage is perfectly primed for retained opener Shweta Sehrawat and RTM-reclaimed Kiran Navgire to ignite a breakout WPL campaign, converting domestic flashes into game-defining runs for their franchise this season.
Both have turned heads in 2025 domestic tournaments, showcasing the maturity to anchor explosive line-ups, Navgire’s fearless starts blending with Sehrawat’s building nous. Navgire ranks as UPW’s 4th highest run-scorer with 419 runs in 24 innings (25 matches) at a blistering strike rate of 140.13 (average 17.45, including 3 fifties), her explosive cameos setting platforms yet craving that big conversion. Sehrawat sits 6th with 261 runs in 20 innings (23 matches) at 103.98 SR (average 13.73, best of 45), no maiden WPL fifty yet, but her grit screams potential.
Under Abhishek Nayar’s nurturing eye, this duo could explode on DY Patil’s true bounce and Kotambi’s true pace, easing overseas load, mentoring youth like Trisha, and propelling UPW to the playoffs. A breakout stint here doesn’t just win games; it cements Indian legacies in a global league.
UP Warriorz Schedule for WPL 2026:
- January 10, 2026: Vs Gujarat Giants. DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. 3:30 PM IST.
- January 12, 2026: Vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru. DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. 7:30 PM IST.
- January 14, 2026: Vs Delhi Capitals. DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. 7:30 PM IST.
- January 15, 2026: Vs Mumbai Indians. DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. 7:30 PM IST.
- January 17, 2026: Vs Mumbai Indians. DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. 3:30 PM IST.
- January 22, 2026: Vs Gujarat Giants. Kotambi Stadium. Vadodara. 7:30 PM IST.
- January 29, 2026: Vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Kotambi Stadium. Vadodara. 7:30 PM IST.
- February 01, 2026: Vs Delhi Capitals. Kotambi Stadium. Vadodara. 7:30 PM IST.
UP Warriorz’s radical squad reboot positions them as genuine WPL 2026 contenders, armed with explosive batting depth, elite spin, and homegrown promise despite a fragile seam attack. Under Abhishek Nayar’s trailblazing reign, Shweta Sehrawat and Kiran Navgire eye breakthroughs, while stars like Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Deandra Dottin and Meg Lanning fuse firepower with nous across DY Patil and Kotambi’s dual battlegrounds.
This SWOT lens reveals a tightrope walk: explosive strengths and golden opportunities offset by pace woes and leadership flux, demanding flawless execution from January 10’s opener against Gujarat Giants. If Nayar harnesses this balanced talent tsunami, converting paper tigers into playoff predators, UPW could finally shatter their knockout curse.
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